A Mexican who was deported from the United States and sent to South Sudan was returned to Mexico on Saturday, according to South Sudanese officials.

Permanent Representative Apuk Ayuel Mayen, spokesperson for the South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the “soft and orderly” departure of J. Jesús Muñoz Gutiérrez at a press conference in Juba on Saturday.

Muñoz was placed under the guardianship of the appointed Mexican ambassador to South Sudan, Alejandro Estivila, said Mayen. CNN contacted Mexico for comment on the deportation.

Speaking to journalists in Juba before boarding the plane, Muñoz said that he felt he had been kidnapped by the United States when he was sent to South Sudan.

I did not plan to come to South Sudan, but during my stay here they treated me well. I finished my term in the United States, and I was supposed to be returned to Mexico. Instead, they unlawfully sent me to South Sudan.

– J. Jesús Muñoz Gutiérrez

Context of the deportation and the next steps for repatriation

Muñoz was one of eight deportees from the United States sent to East Africa in May. Initially they were moved to Djibouti, where they were housed in a Conex container converted into a military base, awaiting a decision on their further fate.

Lawyers for the eight detainees argued that the conditions of their stay in South Sudan were dangerous, as the country has faced interfaith violence since gaining independence in 2011.

At the end of June – early July, the Supreme Court issued a ruling, and a federal court in Massachusetts interpreted in a way that allowed the government to send the eight deportees to the war-torn East African country.

“Law and order prevail,” said DHS spokesperson Trishia McLaflin after the ruling.

– Trishia McLaflin, Department of Homeland Security

Six of the eight original deportees remain in custody in South Sudan, and the government is working with relevant government agencies on their repatriation. One deportee, a South Sudanese citizen, had been released earlier.

The deportation cases and the ongoing coordination between the United States and African countries highlight the complex humanitarian and immigration challenges involved in admitting deported migrants in the region.